like: resembling or matching something else, whether in appearance, in kind, or in standing
This is the ordinary word for saying one thing is like another. It points to a real resemblance between two things, and the kind of resemblance shifts with the setting. Sometimes it draws a picture for teaching, as when Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is like a tiny seed or like yeast: the two things are not identical, but one illuminates the other. Sometimes it describes how something looks, which is why it fills the visions of Revelation, where the seer keeps reaching for the nearest familiar thing to convey what he saw. Sometimes it says two people or actions are of the same sort, sharing a character or a fate. And once in a while it presses further, saying one thing matches another in weight or rank.
These are not separate words but one word stretched across a range, from a loose comparison to a near equality. What holds them together is the claim of likeness itself: that you can understand the one by looking at the other. The reader has to feel how close the likeness is meant to be, because the word alone does not say. The kingdom is not literally a seed, but the second great command really does stand on the same level as the first.
In a few places the comparison carries real force. When Jesus says a second command is like the first, he is not merely noting a family resemblance but ranking the two together at the top. When the letter of John says we shall be like Jesus when we see him, the likeness is the hope of the whole sentence. So the word can be quiet and illustrative or it can be the load-bearing claim, and the surrounding words tell you which.